Improvement in grain-separators



- v ZSheets-Sheet2. L. THEOBALID. GRAIN-SEPARATOR.

Patented 1360.14, 1875.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' LEWIS THEOBALD, or PLAINWELL, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAlN-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 71,066, datedDecember- 14, 1875; application filed June 5,1875.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS THEOBALD, of Plainwell, in the county ofAllegan and State of Michigan, have invented certain Improve inents inFanning-Mills, of which the follow ing is a specification:

My invention consists in a combination of mechanism for operating thetwo shoes or shakers, in the manner of securing the screens in place inthe upper shoe, and in other details hereinafter explained.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my machine; Fig. 2, a verticallongitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical sectionof the same on the line 00 m; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the uppershoe.

The machine,in its general construction and operation, is the same asthose now in common use, consisting essentially of a body, A, containinga blast-fan, B, in one end, a laterally-movin g shoe or shaker, G, inits top, and a longitudinally-moving shoe or shaker, D, in its bottom.In order to communicate motion to the two shoes, I pivot on the outsideof the body A a lever, E, having arms, which extend above and below thepivot, and also a horizontal arm, which has its end slotted and mountedon a crank, F, which is secured to the shaft of the fan, as shown inFig. 1. The upper arm of the lever E is connected by a link, a, with onearm of a horizontal elbow-lever, b, which is pivoted to the side of theframe, and connected at its opposite end by, a plate, 0, to the uppershoe 0, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The lower arm of the lever E isconnected by a link, d, to an arm, e, secured to one of the journals ofa rocking bar, g, which extends transversely across the inside of themachine under the lower shoe D. The rocking bar is provided at its upperedge with a wrist or journal, h, over which a depending forked arm, 6,on the under side of the shoe D engages, as shown. The shoe is sustainedat its upper end by a cross-bar, k, the ends of which are seated innotches in the sides of the body, and secured therein by buttons 6.The'body will be provided, as shown, with two Sets of the notches m, toreceive the bar at difl'erent heights, so that by changing the bar fromone to the other, the end of the shoe may be raised or lowered, and itsinclination thereby varied. The buttons 1 are pivoted be tween the twonotches, as shown, so that the single pair serves to lock the cross-barin both positions. The lower end of the shoe D is supported by tworollers, n, mounted on the ends of a transverse shaft, 0, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3. In order to prevent wear on the shoe, its under side isprovided with plates to run upon the rollers, and in order to give theshoe a vertical motion the plates may be provided each with one or moreribs, 10, in such position that as the shoe'reciprocates they will becarried back and. forth over the rollers. The screens 8, which areshoved loosely into grooves in the upper shoe, are held in place byplates t, which are secured to the rear end of the shoe, and provided,with notches a, through which the screens may be withdrawn after firstraising their rear ends. In inserting the screens they are simply pushedthrough the notches into the shoe, and then permitted to drop at therear end below the notches.

When the machine is set in motion, the crank on the fan-shaft imparts avibratory motion to the lever E, which imparts a lateral motion to theupper shoe through the link a. and lever 12, and a longitudinal motionto the lower shoe through the link d, arm 0,

and rock-shaft g, acting upon the arm 3. In order that the length andthe rapidity of [I10- tion of the shoes may be varied as required, 1provide the arms of the main lever, of the elbow lever, and of therock-shaft with a series of holes, permitting the links to be adjustedas desired; and, in orderto lessen the friction of the parts, I providethe crank-wrist with a roller, working in the slot of thelever, asshown.

The combination of parts for operating the shoes is cheap, simple, anddurable; the rollers at the foot of the lower shoe render its operationsmooth and easy; the employment of the removable supporting-bar permitsa ready change in the inclination of the shoe; the manner of arrangingthe screens admits of their ready removal and insertion, and avoids thedanger of their being rattled out of place, and the ribs to ride overthe rollers and lift the shoe will cause a tossing of the grain thereon,in such manner as to facilitate and improve the separation.

, What I claim as my inx'ention is I 1. In combination with the groovedshoeC and its removable screens, the notched plates or bars u, securedto the rear end of the shoe, as shown and described.

2. The shoe or screen D, provided with the depending slotted arm 11, incombination with the body A, provided with the notches m and adjustablebar k, and the rock-shaft g, engaging in the arm i, as shown, whereby avertical adjustment of the upper end of the shoe is permitted Withoutaffectin g its operation.

LEWIS THEOBALT). Witnesses: I I

' BENJAMIN G. LOREE,

HENRY ARBOR.

